VERBAL ASSAULT - "Trial"

Artist:  Verbal Assault
Album: Trial
Year:  1987
Genre:  Hardcore

"Trial" by Rhode Island natives Verbal Assault is an album that I have complete adoration toward and, yet, an insurmountable amount of difficulty talking about.  So why try to write a review of what appears to be a challenging task?  It's very simple.  This happens to be one of my favorite hardcore records in existence.  In the early 90s, during my full-time tenure at the record store, I used to exuberantly push this album on unsuspecting customers.  I felt if I didn't persuade them into buying it, there's a chance they may not find this treasure on their own, and I couldn't have that happen.  Even when they would ask "why?" they should spend money on an unknown commodity, I didn't have some incredible description prepared.  So, in the formidable effort to get them to purchase this record (for their own good!),  I would just throw lines out there like, "It's the greatest record you don't own," or, "You can't not own one of the best hardcore records ever."  I'm pretty sure I also spewed something to the effect of "the whole Louisville scene exists because of this record."  Yes, many days at that place truly did resemble a poorly written scene out of High Fidelity.

I'd love to roll with some of my old record store standards, but I'm feel I owe some explanation for the high praise.  The first thing Verbal Assault had over so many of their peers was talent.  On Trial the band abandoned the "just grab and instrument and go" mentality of the era.  The way the songs are composed shows a concentrated diligence to the writing.  The guys in VA could play and they tastefully proved it on this record by combining their youthful fury with riffs, tempos, structures and dynamics that rose above  typical 3-4 chord bashing.  The lyrics, although simple, focused on personal issues and are delivered perfectly by Chris Jones, whose tone, phrasing, versatility is still yet to be replicated.  This record sounds like nothing that had been done in hardcore up to that point, but the influence it had on the next generation to come is glaringly obvious.  I wish I could come up with another pathetic one liner to encourage you to get this record, because, if you don't have it already, you're missing out on something unique and special.

Listen to "Never Stop" here.